The present invention relates generally to a footrest for a chair and more particularly to a removable and adjustable auxiliary footrest for a chair.
A common type of office chair generally includes a base having casters to support the chair on the floor, a post extending upwardly from the base and a seat mounted on top of the post. For added comfort, it is known to provide a footrest to support the feet of a seated user. One known type of footrest is a stool, separate from the chair, which may be placed on the floor in front of a chair. Additionally, some structures are known to provide a footrest integral to the chair. Chairs which include such a footrest are shown in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,239 and 6,142,571.
While previously known footrests for chairs provide certain advantages, there remain certain problems with these footrests. For example, the footrest stool must be separately repositioned whenever the user moves the chair. During the course of a single workday, a user may need to move his chair several times, requiring the inconvenient movement of the stool. With respect to the integral footrest, such previous footrests have not previously been readily adjustable to allow the footrest to accommodate users of varying size. Additionally, the mounting structures of these footrests often loosen with use. The inconvenience of re-attaching the footrest to the chair often dissuades the user from re-attaching the footrest after it has become loosened.
In view of the foregoing, a need exists for an improved footrest. A particular need exists for an auxiliary footrest which can be easily and reliably attached to a chair. A further need exists for a simple means by which the footrest can be adjusted. An additional need is for a footrest that can be adjusted in various ways to accommodate various users of the chair and to increase the ergonomic effect of the footrest.
The present invention addresses the foregoing and other needs by providing an adjustable footrest that is removably mountable to a chair having a base with a generally vertical post.
In an exemplary embodiment, a footrest is provided for removable and adjustable installation on a post of a chair. The footrest includes a clamp which is compressible around the post and a frame having a foot support bar. The frame is mounted to the clamp to project from the post in a cantilevered manner, holding the foot support bar in an elevated position with respect to the floor.
In an embodiment, the frame is generally C-shaped, the frame including opposite end portions which define first and second mounting rods for mounting the frame to the clamp, the mounting rods being proximal and generally parallel to each other, the frame including an intermediate portion defining a foot support bar which extends in a generally curved manner between the first and second mounting rods. To firmly mount the footrest, the clamp may include two cooperating halves, such as first and second brackets configured to receive the post securely therebetween. Each of the brackets is mountable between the respective first and second mounting rods of the frame. In one disclosed structure, each of the brackets includes a substantially V-shaped wall portion, the first and second brackets being positioned so that the respective V-shaped wall portions oppose each other to define an aperture to receive the post. The brackets are mounted tightly so the V-shaped wall portions squeeze against opposite sides of the post. Each of these brackets may, in an embodiment, be generally W-shaped, having a pair of planar mounting flanges at opposite ends of the respective bracket. The flanges are securable against inner sides of the respective first and second mounting rods.
In order to tightly secure the brackets, the structure may include a plurality of bolts. Each of the bolts extends through a pair of associated bolt holes in the first and second mounting rods. For providing horizontal adjustability of the footrest, each of the mounting rods includes a plurality of bolt holes disposed in a horizontal row. Additionally, each of the bolt holes is generally slot-shaped to permit horizontal adjustment of the bolt within the respective hole. Moreover, each of the bolts also extends through bolt holes in each of the opposite mounting flanges of a respective one of the brackets, thereby tightening the respective mounting rods to compress inwardly against the brackets. To provide vertical adjustability, each of the flanges includes a plurality of bolt holes disposed in a vertical row.
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a footrest which may be retrofit as an auxiliary feature.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides a footrest which yields ergonomically-pleasing foot support.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a footrest having a simple structure that securely mounts the footrest to the chair.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it provides a footrest which is adjustable.